In hindsight it is apparent that one of the greatest tenors during the 1920s and 30s was the Italian tenor, Francesco Merli. Active during an era that had many fine tenors he was overshadowed by contemporaries Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Giovanni Martinelli and Aureliano Pertile. Yet of them all it is Merli, perhaps, who had the most naturally exciting voice. If one had to draw a comparison with Merli and the other tenors mentioned he most closely resembled the vibrant intensity of Pertile.
He studied in Milan with Professor Negrini and Borghi and in 1914 won second prize in a competition (Gigli won first place). After beginning his professional career that same year he performed in many of the Italian provinces making his La Scala debut in 1916. His repertoire was quite large and although he was particularly favored in the verismo repertoire one of his most famous portrayals was Otello. He first sang the role in 1933 and by the end of his career had sung it 300 times. Merli also took part in at least three world premieres, one of which was Resphighi’s Belfagor. Indeed, his repertoire included many works no longer familiar to audiences. Operas such as Ruy Blas (Marchetti), Germania (Franchetti), Loreley (Catalani), Dejanice (Catalani), Salvator Rosa (Gomez), and Figliol Prodigo (Ponchielli). Although Merli’s appearances centered in Italy including the Arena di Verona, Naples and Bologna, he did appear at the Metropolitan Opera for two performances of Aida, and one each of Lucia and Madama Butterfly. He remained at La Scala until 1942 and in the early 1950s retired from the stage to concentrate on teaching. He died in 1976 mostly unknown to new generations of listeners.
It seems that he was also unappreciated by his own family. In the June 1998 issue of The Record Collector, during an excellent article by the editor, Larry Lustig, Giorgio Gualerzi commented: “Six years later, Francesco Merli died in Milan….I had the honor of commemorating him…..first in Milan, then in Turin. I should, however, state that all of this took place amid the ill-concealed indifference of Merli’s family towards his artistic stature in his profession. The sole exception was his nephew Umberto Zanati…to whom, not by chance, his uncle had entrusted for safe-keeping the precious folders…..which contained the painstaking cataloguing of the day-to-day events of Merli’s brilliant career.”
Merli made 75 sides for Columbia between 1925 and 1936. Of them 3 remain unpublished. He also recorded a number of complete operas: Il Trovatore (1930), I Pagliacci (1930), Manon Lescaut (1931), and the first Turandot (1937,with Cigna and Olivero). All are worth seeking for Merli’s excellent work.
Merli’s voice was a natural tenore di forza; a large, extremely well-focussed instrument of rapid (but even) vibrato. His range extended to high C and his managing of the difficult upper tenor passaggio was exemplary. The timbre, though brilliant, was dark-hued and had an undeniable appeal. Different from some of the other famous tenors of the time, Merli’s singing was refreshingly free of mannerisms.
Thanks to the recording firm, Preiser, Francesco Merli’s solo discs are now more easily accessible than ever before. So far they have released two volumes ranging from Norma to Ruy Blas with Slyand Otello thrown in for good measure (89026, 89091). His finest recordings were made during the 1920s and the early period of electrical process. There are, however, a few that date even later that remain classics. Of that group the most famous are the Otello selections including two duets he recorded in 1935 with Claudia Muzio. These discs are desert island recordings. Indeed, the famous tenor, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, (one of the most articulate of singers) wrote of Merli’s Otello in his famous book, Voci Parallele: “With his robust voice, disciplined mind, solid physique and fearless determination he became the very embodiment of Otello. There was no one to touch him in this role for a decade at the Scala.”
The duets are especially fascinating because they find Merli well matched with the smoky-timbered, eloquent Muzio. There is a lush darkness of mood in both duets and the choice of tempi, individual vocal nuance is practically perfect – the involvement of the artists pure magic. Vocally, Merli is an authoritative, aggressive and dramatically masculine Otello, riddled with jealousy and obsessed with his love for Desdemona. I have known these recordings for twenty years and still never tire of listening to them so well sung and acted are they. Some listeners may need a moment or two to adjust to the rapid fluctuation of Merli’s vibrato – typical of artists during this vocal era. After that, however, prepare to be carried away by the tenor’s sincere and infectuous committment to the music and articulate, individual performances.
Preiser’s first volume includes arias and duets from Forza, Aida, Lohengrin, L’Africaine, Otello, Cavalleria, Chenier and Pagliacci. Of special note is an interesting and addictive account of the glorious “Improviso” fromChenier. Then there is “Cielo e mar” from Ponchielli’s La Gioconda. Merli provided posterity with one of the finest versions of this aria ever recorded – his easy top register and way with the music perfectly masking the aria’s great difficulty. Two duets from Aida combine Merli with the wonderful soprano, Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, one of those artists gifted with a seamless voice of dark tints and exquisite pianissimi work. She too, is an excellent counterpart for Merli and her own solo recordings are of great importance to students who want to hear a good example of a model soprano. I have always thought of Arangi-Lombardi as the Italian version of the American Rosa Ponselle.
Volume two includes the Otello duets (and two other arias from that opera) as well as some wonderful rarities of repertoire: Ruy Blas, Giuliano, Lombardi and Il Guarany. What turned out to be one of my favorite Merli recordings surprised me – “Meco all altar” from Norma (his final solo recording in 1936). Merli is full-voiced, aggressive and darkly burnished in tone and, thankfully, the cabaletta is included. Also on this second volume are two unusual arias from Wolf-Ferrari’s Sly (recently given a new lease on life by Placido Domingo and José Carreras). Duets with the soprano Bianca Scacciati are welcome – mainly because they are from rare works. Scacciati was one of those inconsistent versimo artists (now considered legendary) whose work is sometimes wonderful sometimes horrific. She seems to be on her best behavior in these recordings and provides some exciting moments.
Merli may have been overshadowed by many of his contemporaries, but today listeners can rejoice that documents of his art exist and are now easily accessible. Do yourself a favor and try one of these albums. I think you will find that one is simply not enough.
APOLOGY
Last month Classical Singer received several disconcerting emails about our cover story on racial discrimination in opera. We discovered the same article appeared in the January/February issue of the NATS Journal of Singing. After speaking to the editor of the NATS Journal, it was clear that neither publication knew of the article’s appearance in the other. The author had written the piece on a freelance basis and disregarded a written exclusivity agreement in his efforts to widen the exposure to his message. We express our apologies to our subscribers for this unintended duplication.
